Epilogue #2
"Cullen will never agree to this," I cut in, my voice sharp. "He'll tear apart anyone who suggests using his daughter as bait." I would.
"I know, Rickon," Ellie said, her voice thoughtful.
"But it's Chloe's choice. She is an excellent agent.
I met with her several times when she came to the White House for security briefings before she went undercover.
She's brilliant, fearless, and like her dad, stubborn as hell.
" She looked at me, her green eyes searching mine, then back at the Prime.
"And from what her supervisors report, she's been relentless in demanding they clear her for active duty. "
I watched the tension coil through Ellie's shoulders, felt it radiating from her body in waves as my hand traced the length of her spine.
"What is your plan?" I asked, my fingers mapping each vertebra, each knot of stress that had settled there like stones beneath her skin.
She never made these types of decisions lightly.
I felt the weight of it in every rigid muscle beneath my palm.
"If Chloe agrees, we send her to visit her father, embedded with a tracker." Ellie's gaze dropped to the crook of her left arm, where George, the Historia's medic, had implanted a small tracking device with her consent. A tiny piece of technology that would let me find her anywhere in the galaxy.
"And we let it be known that Chloe is traveling." The Prime's voice was measured, calculating, her strategic mind already mapping out the operation. It hadn't taken her long to catch on.
"I think Declan will jump at the chance to get her back." Ellie's frown deepened, carving lines between her brows. "Not to mention the bastard will think that having Chloe gives him leverage over Cullen, who works at your side."
Something flickered across the Prime's face when Ellie mentioned Cullen. Something soft and unguarded and vulnerable that vanished as quickly as it had appeared, like a door slamming shut.
"I know Cullen won't like this...." Ellie began, her voice trailing off, uncertainty creeping in.
"I will speak with him," The Prime said, her tone brooking no argument, steel underlying every word. "And Chloe?"
"I'll ask her to visit me tomorrow." Ellie's expression shifted, a hint of admiration creeping into her features, softening the lines of worry. "Knowing her, she'll jump at the chance."
The Prime's hologram flickered, the blue light stuttering for a moment. "One more thing. Ambassador Threll has requested another comm about the trade negotiations. The Andorian delegation is becoming impatient."
Ellie sighed, running a hand through her hair, her fingers catching in the tangled strands. "I'll clear my schedule for Thursday afternoon."
"I'll make the arrangements. The Ambassador is sending over the updated Andorian offer as we speak."
"Send the files to my secure tablet. I'll review them tonight." Ellie paused and glanced at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Actually, make it tomorrow. Tonight, I'm officially off duty."
The Prime's lips curved into something that might have been a smile, a rare expression that transformed her countenance and reminded me of her loveliness.
"As you wish, Madam President. We'll speak soon.
" The hologram dissolved into nothing, the blue light winking out and plunging us back into darkness.
I pulled Ellie back down against my chest, wrapping my wings around us both, cocooning us in warmth and safety. "You're going to miss this," I said quietly, the words barely more than a whisper against her hair. "All of it. The decisions, the power, the ability to change things."
She lifted her head to gaze at me. Even in the darkness, her green eyes blazed with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. "Is that what you think?"
"You're good at it, Ellie. You were made for this." I meant every word, having watched her prove it time and time again. I'd watched her navigate impossible situations with grace and steel, making decisions that would have broken lesser people.
"Maybe." She pressed her palm flat against my heart, and I wondered if she could feel how it thundered beneath her touch.
"But I wasn't made to do it forever. Two more years, Rickon.
Two more years and I'm done. No second term.
" Her voice softened, becoming tender and raw, stripped of all pretense.
"The only thing I want is a life with you.
I don't care if it's here, on the Historia, or on some unnamed moon at the edge of the galaxy. As long as you're there."
I tightened my arms around her, feeling something in my chest squeeze. "You mean that."
"Every word."
I held her until the darkness outside began to soften, the first hint of dawn turning the sky from black to deep blue, painting the horizon with streaks of pink and gold. Through the window, I saw the faint glow on the horizon, my signal that time was running out.
"I need to go," I murmured against her hair, reluctantly loosening my grip, every fiber of my being protesting the movement. "Before your staff starts their morning rounds and someone gets a clear look at the giant bat flying out of your window."
She laughed softly, the sound vibrating against my chest, warm and rich and beautiful. Her arms remained locked around me, refusing to let go. "Stay."
I pulled back to look at her face, searching her expression for any sign of doubt. "Ellie?"
"I'm serious." Her eyes were steady, determined, burning with a resolve I recognized all too well.
The look she got when she'd made up her mind and nothing in the universe would change it.
"I'm going to talk to the Chief of Staff first thing in the morning.
We're going to start making plans to disclose our relationship. Properly. No more sneaking around."
I almost laughed aloud at the thought of Edward's reaction.
His face would be priceless, his carefully maintained composure cracking like ice under pressure.
But my heart hammered against my ribs, a drum of hope and fear beating out a rhythm I couldn't control.
"They won't let me stay on your security detail.
You know that. The second we go public, they'll reassign me.
" I tightened my hold on her, my fingers pressing into her skin, trying to memorize the feel of her.
"I will not relegate your safety to the control of another and be sent away from you.
" Staying on Earth meant staying in my guise as a Secret Service agent.
And not all agents guarded the president.
Perhaps I could change my disguise to that of the janitor who cleaned her office, he always seemed to be around.
"I know." She sat up, the sheet pooling around her waist, her gorgeous breasts on display, her skin luminous in the growing dawn, and reached for my hand. Her fingers threaded through mine, warm and certain and steady. "But I have a different job in mind for you."
I studied her face, trying to read her intent, watching the play of emotions across her features. "What kind of job?"
Her lips curved into a smile, nervous, hopeful, and absolutely beautiful. The kind of smile that could stop my heart and restart it in the same breath. The kind of smile that could bring me to my knees. "What do you think about the title of First Gentleman?"
For a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The words hung in the air between us, impossible and perfect.
"First Gentleman," I repeated slowly, testing the weight of it on my tongue, feeling how it felt in my mouth.
I had continued my studies on Earth culture and protocol and knew that the First Gentleman was the husband of a female head of state.
My bright, beautiful mate had just asked me to marry her.
"Unless you have a better suggestion." She teased, but I heard the tremor underneath, the vulnerability she was trying to hide, the fear that I might say no.
"I know it's complicated. I know it's going to be a media circus.
But Rickon, I don't want to hide anymore.
I want everyone to know that you're mine. "
I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing across her cheekbones, feeling the warmth of her skin, the delicate bone structure beneath, and the way she leaned into my touch, as if she couldn't help herself.
"Yes, I will be your First Gentlemen, gladly.
I am yours, Ellie," I said, my voice rough with emotion and promise, thick with everything I felt for her. "Forever."